Suicide by crashing into a heavy vehicle: Focus on professional drivers using in-depth crash data

Abstract

Objective: Road traffic suicides typically involve a passenger car driver crashing his or her vehicle into a heavy vehicle, because death is almost certain due to the large mass difference between these vehicles. For the same reason, heavy-vehicle drivers typically suffer minor injuries, if any, and have thus received little attention in the research literature. In this study, we focused on heavy-vehicle drivers who were involved as the second party in road suicides in Finland.

Methods: We analyzed 138 road suicides (2011–2016) involving a passenger car crashing into a heavy vehicle. We used in-depth road crash investigation data from the Finnish Crash Data Institute.

Results: The results showed that all but 2 crashes were head-on collisions. Almost 30% of truck drivers were injured, but only a few suffered serious injuries. More than a quarter reported sick leave following their crash. Injury insurance compensation to heavy-vehicle drivers was just above €9,000 on average. Material damage to heavy vehicles was significant, with average insurance compensation paid being €70,500. Three out of 4 truck drivers reported that drivers committing suicide acted abruptly and left them little opportunity for preventive action.

Conclusions: Suicides by crashing into heavy vehicles can have an impact on drivers’ well-being; however, it is difficult to see how heavy-vehicle drivers could avoid a suicide attempt involving their vehicle.

Keywords:

• Heavy vehicle drivers
• motor vehicle crashes
• violent suicide
• driver suicide
• self-destruction

Acknowledgments

We thank LVK and OTI for their permission to use the fatal crashes and insurance compensation databases and Timo Kari for combining these two. We also thank Arja Holopainen and Esa Räty for their help with OTI’s original folders and Aurora Järvinen and Martta Arasalo for data extraction.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported in full by the Finnish Work Environment Fund (Decision No. 115438), the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, and the University of Helsinki. This funding is gratefully acknowledged.